Apprentice hopes for Walsall 26-year-old Melody Hossaini

A MIDLAND woman is among the hopefuls looking for a place under the wing of business supremo Lord Sugar in the new series of The Apprentice.

A MIDLAND woman is among the hopefuls looking for a place under the wing of business supremo Lord Sugar in the new series of The Apprentice.

Walsall 26-year-old Melody Hossaini, who won a woman of the future award in 2008 for her voluntary work, is one of show’s 16 new contestants.

She claims to have worked with 12 Nobel peace prize winners including Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama and says she has also been trained on climate change by Al Gore.

Among the pearls of wisdom, the public has been told to expect from her are: “Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit when there are footprints on the moon.”

Her profile on the business networking website LinkedIn lists her as a speaker of five different languages – Farsi, Swedish, English, German and French. It adds that she graduated with a 2:1 in law from Oxford Brookes.

It also says the Iranian-born former Oxford City Council outreach officer is the founder and director of youth consultancy InspirEngage International, which was set up at the end of last month.

Its website, featuring more than 20 pictures of Miss Hossaini, says she has “been in industry” for 13 years and lists “Queen Rania of Jordan and my mother” as role models. She also has a personal website - www.melodyhossaini.com

She was at the family home in the Black Country yesterday, with her white Mini and its personalised number plate – M30 DYH – parked outside, however, she’s been told to avoid speaking to the press with the series due to start on Tuesday next week.

Nevertheless, neighbour Sally Robinson tipped her for success. “I just say hello and talk to her now and again,” said Mrs Robinson. “She seems very pleasant and cheery. She has a lot to say and is quite bubbly. I should imagine she’ll do well.”

Among those Miss Hossaini will be competing against for Lord Sugar’s attention will be a teenage market stall worker-turned-business psychologist and a trained actress.